


A One-sided Happy Meeting

by WritersKitten



Series: Drabbles and Prompts of the Year [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Bad Decisions, Gen, Lost Abilities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 10:11:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3116240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersKitten/pseuds/WritersKitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norway has, along with the rest of the nations, been invited to America's New Year party. With America being the host, he was prepared to see and hear things he probably would wish he had neither seen nor heard, but he was not prepared to meet a ghost from a long gone past. An old "friend" of his appears, begging his help, and how can he decline?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Anniss here on AO3 for writing the prompt.  
> Hetalia (c) Himaruya Hidekaz

“ _Unnskyld meg? Hvor finner jeg Lukas? Er Lukas her?_ ”

***

“Tell it again!” Denmark laughed. “That funny story about the nymph who lost her magic.”

Norway sighed. “It is not funny”, he replied. “I have told you many times over that without her magic, she would have died! Humans would have tried to catch her and do who-knows-what to her.”

Denmark kept on laughing as he did his best to reconstruct the story for Finland, Sweden and a few others to hear. Norway took this opportunity to give the rest of the room a proper look – something he still had not been fully able to. America had invited all the nations for a New Year party at his place. Norway had to admit he was impressed by the amount of drinks and small tastes the American had prepared, even though he had a sneaking suspicion it had been ordered.

From his place by the table, he spotted Iceland chatting away with Turkey and Hong Kong. It always surprised him how well his brother got along with them. Sometimes he wished Iceland would be the same as he had been before. Always the little one who needed protection from darkness and deep waters, who would run out in the snow laughing, only to trip and fall headfirst into the closest pile.

He shut off his thoughts of their happier childhood and reminded himself that it probably would not happen. Only the fact that about a month ago, when Norway managed to use a spell with less cautiousness than was required, and turned into a child for the rest of the Christmas, Iceland had refused to even talk to him, unless it was to scold him, should be enough to prove that.

He lifted his glass to his lips and was about to take a sip, when his gaze found a golden head in the crowd, wobbling from side to side. His eyes narrowed slightly and he leant a little to the side, trying to get a clearer look at who it was. The girl, or rather young woman, was dressed in a simple white dress that danced about her knees whenever she moved, and had a pale blue, small jacket. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were large, blue. She would have looked like any other beautiful lady, had it not been for the cow’s tail that protruded her dress, and the fact that she appeared to have no back beneath the thin fabric.

She stopped one of the other guests, Romano, and asked something. His face turned red and he shook his head, trying to form a proper sentence. She continued. Was she searching for someone?

“Who’s _that_?” Denmark asked suddenly, leaning forward beside Norway and pointing to the young woman in the crowd. “Haven’t seen her around! And – gosh, maybe I’ve had one beer too much now. Is that a _tail_?”

Norway’s blood froze, but he was unable to take his eyes off her. He noticed she was starting to get plenty of attention. Then she stumbled into Iceland, Turkey and Hong Kong. Even from a distance, Norway noticed how Turkey turned his flirty personality on, while Hong Kong put up his wall of cautiousness. She said something, and Iceland replied. She lit up like a small sun, then ruffled Iceland’s hair. Iceland pointed to the table where Norway and his companions were sitting.

Before Norway knew exactly what was going on, she was coming straight towards them, her steps now much more targeted.

“She’s pretty”, Finland breathed.

“No, she’s beautiful”, Denmark corrected.

“ _Schön…_ ” Germany mumbled. His cheeks were slightly flushed. Norway had a suspicion Prussia had forced a little too many beers into the German.

“ _Lukas!_ ” the young woman called out, making it to them and stopping before him. “ _Enda godt jeg fant deg! Jeg trenger hjelp!_ ” She grabbed his hands, holding them tightly and tearing up.

America whistled softly. “Who knew you had such a pretty girlfriend, Nor?” He laughed. “Hey, everyone! Norway’s girlfriend has dropped by!” He wrapped an arm around Norway’s shoulders. “So, bud, do we get to see a kiss, maybe?”

Norway narrowed his eyes at America, before pulling his hands free from the young woman’s and pushing the American away. “She certainly is not my girlfriend”, he replied.

“ _Hvem er det? Hva sier han?_ ” She glanced curiously at America.

“ _Ingenting. Kom._ ” Norway got off his seat and grabbed her arm, pulling her along. She was making way too much of scene, coming here. He pointed it out, embarrassing her. They wound their way through the room, picking up England and Romania along the way, before finding an empty, small sitting room that would work perfectly for their purpose.

“So, who’s this delightful creature?” Romania questioned, perching himself at the armrest of one of the armchairs, watching the young woman as though she was a piece of delicate cake – and Romania had a weakness for delicate cakes.

“Huldra”, Norway replied simply.

“Who?” both Romania and England replied in unison.

Norway resisted the urge to faceplam. They were supposed to know about all the different magical creatures out there, and yet they did not recognize one of the most famous Norwegian creatures? “Huldra is an elflike creature”, he explained. “She is beautiful and all of that, and very much like the sweetest girls you meet, but she has no soul. Before people stopped believing in her, she would lure lonely men to herself with singing, dancing, music and promises of love and wealth. Plenty of men has disappeared to her halls and work as slaves there. Other men has been cursed by her.”

“What is she doing here, then?” England asked, his brows furrowing. “In America, of all places?”

Norway crossed his arms and leant against the wall. “Her magic has disappeared, even though her spell is not broken.”

More silence.

“So… we have to renew her magic, right?” Romania wondered aloud, tilting his head slightly.

“Exactly.”

“But there is no spell for such things!” England exclaimed. “If one’s magic is lost, there is no way to reclaim it, unless it returns by itself!”

“There has to be a way”, Norway stated. “I will search my scripts. Can you not look through your books? And Romania…?”

“Count me in!” Romania grinned and gave a thumb up.

England sighed and sank into a seat, putting his face in his hands. “How is it that our trouble always emerges at your side of the world?” he grumbled. “Fine! I will help you. But do not take anything for granted!”

For once, Norway let on a small smile. “Thank you.”

“What should we do with her in the meanwhile? She can’t return to her world like that”, Romania pointed out.

All three of them glanced to the young woman. She glanced from Norway to England to Romania and back, looking like a large question mark.

“You will just have to take her home”, England stated. “I am sure there is some way she will be able to help out in the house, without attracting too much attention.”

“How am I supposed to live with _that_?” Norway exclaimed, his arms uncrossing, and pointed to huldra. “Do you know what she does to men she catches? She seduces them! Deceives them! Only to maybe gain a soul of her own, damning the men!”

“You will manage to deal with her, I am sure of it”, England replied drily. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a party to attend to, before I must go do some research.” With that, he got up from the chair and left the room.

“Good luck!” Romania smiled, patting Norway’s shoulder and following England.

The door fell shut behind them.

Norway stared blankly, before falling back against the wall, his head hitting it with a thud. He sank down. His mind unrelentingly went to that summer long, long ago, when he was still rather naïve and unknowing of the creatures living in the world. The only thing that had saved him back then, was the sound of the church bells nearby. He still remembered the feeling, like being forced out of a good dream, only to fund a horrifying reality. He swallowed. He had not managed to deal with her back then, so how was he going to deal with her now? Surely, he could not lock her up in a room. That would be plain cruel.

He moaned softly, coughing when he realized the soft sound coming from his throat. He got off the wall and straightened his shirt, even though it did not really need straightening. “ _Vi skal se om vi kan hjelpe deg. Imens, ser det ut som om du må bo hos meg_ ”, he informed her.

She beamed at him. “ _Tusen takk!_ ”

He felt his heart sink at the sight of her. There was no way he would be able to live with seeing her every single day, and what of the others? How would they react to the news?


	2. Chapter 2

“Nooorwaaay!”

The complaining voice seeped through the keyhole, around the key, across the bedroom, under the duvet and to the Norwegian’s ear. He grabbed the pillow and pulled it over his head. Somehow, the voice still wound its way into his head. Finally getting enough of it, he sat up, grabbed a book from the nightstand and threw it across the room. It slammed into the door and fell harmless to the floor.

Silence. Norway held his breath.

“Nooorwaaay!”

“Shut up!” he yelled at the door. “I will not come!”

“Cooomeee ooon, Nooorwaaay!”

“No! Give up, Denmark, I am not joining you. In fact, I think I will migrate soon.”

That silenced the Dane. But only for a few seconds. “You wouldn’t do that”, Denmark sang. The door creaked slightly.

“Give me one good reason not to.”

“You love me too much, and you wouldn’t leave your girlfriend.”

“She is not my girlfriend.”

“We’re not stupid, y’ know”, Denmark replied with a laugh. He was probably leaning against the door at this very moment, preparing himself to slam it in and drag Norway down to breakfast.

“What do you mean?” Norway questioned.

“The way she’s acting around you! Always sitting beside you, clinging to your arm, leaning on your shoulder, reading your newspaper, drinking coffee from your cup, wearing your clothes.”

“It is her wicked plan of revenge, because I have not managed to restore her powers yet!” All of what Denmark was saying, was true. Huldra always sat beside him, no matter where they were. She would randomly take his hand, stroke his knuckles with her thumb and smile at him, or fall asleep on his shoulder. Recently, she had developed a habit of taking his coffee out of his hands and drinking from it, and when he was out, she would steal one of his shirts.

“You know, yesterday Sealand and Ladonia talked of how they saw the two of you kissing”, Denmark continued.

Norway knew he was red. His face felt like it was burning. “It was her fault!” he choked out. He just knew Denmark was grinning mockingly.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it, eh, Nor?”

“I did not! I hate her!”

“Of course you do.”

After that, there was silence. Norway wondered if Denmark had gone downstairs to have breakfast with the others. Maybe it would be safe to go to the bathroom now? Carefully he got out of bed and crossed the room. He unlocked the door, stopping whenever it made a too loud noise. Then he pushed the door open. He peered outside. No one as far as he could see. He opened the door further, only to literally fall back inside when Denmark sprung forth from behind the door.

“Ha! Got ya there!” the Dane laughed, standing in the doorway.

Norway scrambled up. “Forget it”, he snapped. “I am not going down there.”

“Aww, but Nooor!” Denmark whined. “Don’t you really want your coffee? And slice of bread with brown cheese? C’mon.”

Yes, Norway really wanted his coffee and breakfast, but right now there was something he wanted far more than that. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and huldra as possible. “No”, he stated firmly.

Once more Denmark started his complaining and whining. At one point, Norway’s stomach joined, not making Norway in a better mood. Finally, too tired to listen to Denmark any longer, he pushed him out of the way and stepped out of the bedroom, locking the door. A security install he had made after he found huldra curled up on his bed one night.

He headed straight for the bathroom, ignoring Denmark completely, and locked himself in. When he took a look in the mirror, he found a weary face staring back at himself. Tired eyes with shades under the eyes. Unusually pale skin. Tousled hair. He sighed and stripped, before stepping into the shower. The water ran hot over his skin. The last nights he had spent working like crazy to find a spell, enchantment, potion, _something_ that would restore huldra’s powers so she could leave.

The first days had been normal enough. She had acted like any normal human would, helping out with the chores. She would put Sealand and Ladonia to bed, and now that she was powerless, Norway allowed her to sing to them too. She cooked with Finland. Listened to music and chatted with Iceland. Played games with Denmark. She had tried spending time with Sweden too, but only the fact that he would glare daggers at her the second she came into his view, was enough to keep her at a good distance. Other than that, it was very clear she had spun the rest of the household around her pinkie – well, except Norway. At least he liked to believe so.

Then, as one week passed, she became more intolerable. She spent less time with Finland, Denmark, Iceland and the boys, and more time hanging on Norway and snooping in his room. She had spent a considerable amount of time, trying to unlock his phone and understand it. When Norway asked Estonia to make a double security for it, she gave up. Then the clinging began. The very moment he got downstairs, she would be there, skipping around him and keeping up a constant chatter. Once, she had dared to bring up the past. Norway’s emotions had gotten the better of him, and he slapped her across the face, leaving a nice, red mark. She stayed away the rest of the day, but after a night of sleep, she was back.

Norway leant against the wall of the shower, closing his eyes. She was frustrating him to a point beyond belief. And instead of shut it inside himself, like he so often did with all other emotions, he let it out on the rest of the family.

He turned off the shower, dried himself up and grabbed a comb. Then, with the towel around his waist, he headed back to his room. He was about to unlock the door, when he found it was ruined. Blood rose to his head and he burst inside, startling huldra, who had nested in his bed, wearing one of his shirts and surrounding herself with his detective novels.

She blinked at him, then smiled. “ _Hei! Jeg kom opp med frokosten din!_ ” She pointed to the nightstand where a plate stood. It held two slices of toast with melting butter and brown cheese. A cup of still steaming coffee stood beside it.

Norway’s stomach resumed its previous complaining.

Huldra giggled.

“ _Ut_ ”, Norway commanded, pointing to the door.

Her giggles stopped and she tilted her head, looking innocently confused.

He had to bite back a long strip of curses and a tirade of not to invade people’s personal space. And especially not stealing people’s clothes and bed. “ _Takk for maten. Gå ut._ ”

When she still did not move, Norway went over to the bed, pulled her out at the floor and shoved her towards the door. She giggled. Of course she did. Her tail swayed playfully. In the door she stopped and spun around before he could shove her into the hall. She trailed his collarbone with her fingers, before standing on the tips of her toes and brushing their noses together.

Norway’s face radiated heat and he pulled back, slamming the door in her face. Looking around the room, he found a board he blocked the door with. He dressed himself, realizing that he had only one shirt left. He had lost count long ago of how many huldra had stolen. Apparently, it was more than estimated, or he had few of them.

He took his chair and moved it to the window where he brought his breakfast and coffee, and sat down to enjoy it. He turned on the small radio he kept in his room at all times, tuned it in and brought forth his phone to find the newspaper. Then he sat back, letting all anger and frustration seep off him.

 

It was dinner time. Norway had been in his room since breakfast – which had been about nine o’clock. Now the wonderful smell of turkey, potatoes, sauerkraut and sauce was winding its way into his room. The hours he had spent locked up, were mostly spent to sit and stare out of the window while trying to remember every single spell and ritual he had learnt, reading or pacing back and forth. The last part, usually occurred whenever he began thinking of the fact that huldra might be staying with them forever.

By the time Finland’s voice rang through the house, assembling the family for dinner, Norway was still in his room. He tried to ignore the fact that they were probably going to eat dinner without him. He had not shown his face outside his room for hours, so why were they going to wait?

A tentative knock to the door made him tense up. “Norway?” Finland’s soft voice barely made it through the door and board. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Norway got up from his seat and cautiously approached the door. “Are there anyone else with you?” he asked warily.

“Only me.”

He nodded to himself, before removing the board and opening the door barely enough for Finland to slip through. He immediately shut the door afterwards, putting the board back in place.

“Are you okay?” Finland asked, once Norway turned back to him.

“Yes.”

“Then why are you not with the rest of us?”

Norway pondered exactly what to reply, before shrugging and returning to his chair by the window.

“You have spent far too much time in here!” Finland insisted. “Why don’t you at least come down to dine with us?”

“No.”

Finland sat at the bed and watched Norway. “I’m not leaving before you at least try to explain why you isolate yourself.”

Norway said nothing, simply resumed his staring out through the window and going through everything he had learnt of spells and magic through his life.

Long minutes passed while none of them said anything. Then Norway’s phone began vibrating. It lay at the bed where he had left it a few hours earlier, and now Finland picked it up. He did not ask for permission, only answered the call. He did not even say who it was. Maybe it was a call that would change Norway’s recent situation.

“No, I’m sorry. Norway is busy at the moment… Of course I will tell him… Bye!” Finland put the phone back on the bed.

“Who was it?” Norway asked.

“England. Something about having found a paper that might be of your interest. Now, as for the reason- Where are you going?”

Norway got up from the chair and headed straight for the door, removing the board and tossing it open. “Did you not just say I was busy? There is a call I have to make.” He rushed downstairs to the home phone. Quickly he dialled the number to England, thankful he had taken the time to learn it by heart – as he had with Iceland and Denmark’s numbers as well. Some tense moments went by, where the only sound was the occasional beep from the other end. Then the call was answered.

“Arthur Kirkland, hello?”

“England, it is Norway. Finland said you have something of my interest?”

“Yes. Can you meet us at the Circle? And bring her too.”

“It cannot be done without her presence?”

“No.”

“How soon?”

“We are here already.”

Norway hung up the phone and made it as far as the entrance when Finland stopped him. “What is going on?” the Finn inquired, hands at his sides.

“I am going out.”

“Without dinner? You haven’t eaten for hours! Not to mention had anything to drink!”

Norway pulled on his shoes and jacket, and grabbed the car keys. Then he brought forth another of his winter jackets and called for huldra to join them. Without answering any of her questions, he put on her the jacket and ushered her out the door.

“Norway!” Finland called after them. “Where are you going?”

“I will explain everything when I get back”, Norway replied. He put huldra into the back seat and told her to stay put and buckle herself in. Then he sat in the front, started the car and drove out of the driveway, towards their meeting place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hei! Jeg kom opp med frokosten din! - (Norwegian) Hi! I came up with your breakfast!  
> Ut - (Norwegian) Out  
> Takk for maten. Gå ut. - (Norwegian) Thank you for the food. Go out.
> 
> I'll be the first to admit I did not expect this plot to last for so long. I am truly sorry if you felt like it centered way too much around Norway, his feelings and so on.


	3. Chapter 3

The Circle had three entrances. One was close to Romania’s place, another in England’s basement, and the third just ten minutes by car away from the mansion in which Norway spent most of his time. He had to admit, it would have been much easier to have it in their basement, but with six other people and a dog it was a huge risk. Romania who occasionally was visited by Moldova had a similar problem – and especially when thinking of the fact that he had servants working at the old castle he lived in. England, on the other hand, had only himself in his mansion in London, so no worries there.

Norway parked the car and got out, quickly followed by huldra. She pulled his jacket tighter around her, her cheeks gaining a soft colour. “ _Hvorfor er vi her?_ ” she asked as they started towards a small, grey warehouse in disrepair.

“ _For å ordne problemene dine_ ”, he replied, trudging through ankle deep snow. When they reached the wall, he followed it around the corner. There he stopped, searching the wall for a moment. A small, sea green pattern glimmered across the surface, creating a gateway. He grabbed huldra’s hand and pulled her through.

They found themselves standing at the top of a spiral staircase. Through the floor, they could see the street far below them. Huldra squeaked and pushed herself against Norway’s chest, trying to hide from the view. He felt his eyebrows raise. She had fear of heights? Deciding not to comment it, he led her across the small bridge separating them from the Circle. In reality, it was no a circle at all. It was the attic of an old house they had bought. There were just two windows, but everything else was good enough. Once they came through the door and stood in the entrance hall, Romania appeared in the doorway to their combined common room and study, as well as the place where Romania made his funny, alchemistic liquids that would occasionally give off colourful clouds. Usually pink or purple.

“It took you long enough”, Romania commented with his usual slightly cheeky smile.

“Finland had a problem with us leaving before dinner”, Norway replied. He got out of his jacket and shoes. Huldra did the same, and the two of them headed straight for the common room. Norway placed her in an armchair, telling her not to move or touch anything. Then he turned his attention to the paper England was holding. “So, are we sure this will actually work?”

“No”, Romania replied cheerfully.

“Of course we are sure!” England snapped, then cleared his throat. “Well, maybe slightly doubtful, but it is nothing. This will very likely put our doubt to shame.”

Norway nodded and took the paper, scanning it. Then he glanced up at them. “This is a potion.”

“Exactly!” Romania grinned.

“I know nothing of potions.”

“That is why we have a translated version of the original script”, England replied. “I found it tucked away in one of my old books of dark magic. Translated it and let Romania see it.”

“It might work”, Romania added helpfully. “Or it will kill her off.”

“Either way is fine by me, as long as I get her out of the house”, Norway replied, handing the paper back to England. “What do we have to do?”

“We need two drops of blood”, England stated. “It has to be yours, as your powers are those closest to her own.” He cleared his throat, before correcting himself. “I mean, she is from your country. Therefore it should be your blood.”

Norway sighed and nodded. The other two led him over to a small kettle that was boiling. It looked nearly like soup, but with a sickening green colour. Romania held out a hand to Norway. He put his own hand in Romania’s and watched as the Romanian brought a knife to one of his fingers, penetrating the skin. They waited until a large drop of blood had gathered at Norway’s finger. Then he shook it off into the kettle and went to wash the remains off and stop the blood.

When he returned, the potion had gained a fresh sea blue colour that made Norway feel ten times better than he had for a long while. His senses were tingling.

“You’re glowing”, Romania pointed out.

Norway glanced down at himself. A nearly invisible sea blue aura danced around him, forming beautiful patterns of light.

“ _Så vakkert…_ ” came a quiet comment behind them.

Norway spun around, only to find huldra standing there, staring at him with wide eyes. Usually, his gaze got caught by her face, but now, his gaze was instead caught by a light of the same type that danced around her body, making her hair dance with it. He chuckled softly at the sight and she glanced questioningly at him, before taking notice of herself. She gaped for a second, before starting giggling as she tried to get a better look. She turned around and around. It was a wonder she did not get seasick.

“And you have bad experiences with her?” Romania laughed.

England whacked his head lightly. “I did some research on her type when I was on it. Her presumable innocence is what catches men!”

“I bet my castle that is the way she caught Norway.”

On that comment, Norway spun around. “How did you know?”

Romania laughed. “It’s fairly easy to guess. How you were so desperate to get away from here? The way you watch her when you think no one is watching you?” He shook his head. “Can’t have anything of you giving your soul up for her. Look, the potion is ready!”

Trying to get a proper understanding of Romania’s words, Norway went to get a deep bowl, as Romania instructed. When he got back, Romania had all of the potion into the bowl.

“Now, tell her to sit down and drink all of it.”

Norway translated, and after some moments of no reaction, she went to sit in the armchair he first had appointed to her. He gave her the bowl, and her glow increased. Carefully she sniffed it, before shrugging and downing it all. The bowl fell out of her hands as she fell back, her light snores filling the room.

“That should do it”, England said satisfied. “See how the glow is fading? That probably means her body is absorbing it. You should bring her back to the forest before she wakes up.”

“Of course”, Norway agreed and handed the bowl to Romania. “Thank you for your help.”

“No problem!” Romania replied. “That’s what you’ve got friends for, remember?” He grinned. “Now, hurry up before she wakes up and gets you!”

Norway put on his winter clothes, before returning, picking her up and heading outside. At the top of the staircase, he stepped out into thin air and found himself back by the warehouse. He made his way to the car, put her in behind and sat in in the driver’s seat. He started the car and drove out on the road that went straight to the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hvorfor er vi her? - (Norwegian) Why are we here?  
> For å ordne problemene dine - (Norwegian) To fix your problems.  
> Så vakkert... - (Norwegian) How beautiful...
> 
> And that's it! A kind of open end, but I figured there would be no need for more. I hope you enjoyed! If you have any ideas for another drabble/short story, just leave a comment! I can write basically anything - even though there are some ships I cannot stand.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> Unnskyld meg? Hvor finner jeg Lukas? Er Lukas her? - (Norwegian) Excuse me? Where can I find Lukas? Is Lukas here?  
> Enda godt jeg fant deg! Jeg trenger hjelp! - (Norwegian) Thank Goodness I found you! I need your help!  
> Hvem er det? Hva sier han? - (Norwegian) Who is it? What does he say?  
> Ingenting. Kom. - (Norwegian) Nothing. Come.  
> Vi skal se om vi kan hjelpe deg. Imens, ser det ut som om du må bo hos meg. - (Norwegian) We will see if we can help you. Meanwhile, it appears you will have to live with me.  
> Tusen takk! - (Norwegian) Thank you so much!  
> Schön... - (German) Beautiful...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I might be doing a short sequel to this, if anyone has any ideas as to what bend it would take.


End file.
